Review: Harney & Sons Organic Peach Black Tea

Connecticut-based Harney & Sons exhibited their tea products at the 2010 National Restaurant Association show in Chicago. I chatted with a member of their team and explored their ready-to-drink bottled tea offerings, which leads to this review of Harney & Sons Organic Peach Black Tea.

Harney Tea has a reputation mostly in the “traditional” tea sense, i.e. loose teas you brew to appreciate. Their bottled tea lineup is substantially smaller, however it shouldn’t be overlooked.

Harney & Sons Organic Peach Black Tea comes in a smooth, 16 oz. glass bottle covered in a “wrap” with a orange and yellow pattern that harkens back to Victorian-style wallpaper. A crest overlays this design with the name of the product and notes that this is “Invigorating Black Tea” and is both “Fresh” and “Ripe”. Inside the twist-off cap I had to laugh at the printed statement: “Tea is good for you!”

The fragrance of tea and peach flows from the bottle upon opening the product, while the color is a light chocolate brown. As for the taste, it obviously tastes like tea, but it’s light, with some of the harshness associated with tea softened by the peach flavor. You are greeted by a sweet taste initially that flattens out to a somewhat empty aftertaste.

I can’t say that I’m totally in love with the flavor. More experienced tea connoisseurs probably would have their own opinion here, but I’m probably expecting a flavor that is sweeter and less on the black tea side of things. Then again, I’m probably not the target audience for this type of product! I will admit that the taste is very clean and crisp, which can probably be attributed to the use of cane sugar in the sweetening, what little there is. Black tea is often an acquired taste and I think that may be in play here.

The full 16 oz bottle of this tea contains 40 calories, 10 mg of sodium, and 10 g of carbs (of which 10 g are sugars). This tea is also certified USDA Organic.

If you enjoy bottled tea and especially black tea, then Harney & Sons Organic Peach Black Tea may be something to track down. The combination of sweet peach flavor and harsher black tea makes for an interesting battle in your mouth, but the clean taste refreshes no matter what!

Full Disclosure: This beverage was provided compliments of Harney & Sons